Author Archive: Clarence Scott

Some people are born with wanderlust and spend their lives seeking new experiences. Others plan yearly vacations, enjoy weekend day trips or tack a few extra days onto a business trip to explore their destination.

No matter what your travel style, there are many reasons we need to get out of your aluminum garage door in Tulsa to go to new locations. Here are a few:

You feel more rested and restored.

Getting away from everyday stress helps restore both body and mind, and having new experiences takes your mind away from the day-to-day problems and allows it to concentrate on taking in new sights, smells, tastes and sounds. After a couple of days, you can actually feel your body start to relax.

You get to play.

We have far too little play in our lives, so travel lets us channel our inner child and see the world with fresh eyes. Do something you haven’t done since childhood, like ride a carousel or swim in the cool blue ocean. You’ll find yourself smiling as the stress melts away.

You get a break from work.

Some of your best ideas come to you when you’re doing something other than working. Try to forget about work when you travel and immerse yourself in the new experiences all around you. Be sure to unplug: check emails once in the morning, or only as necessary, and assign someone else to take on the responsibilities while you’re gone.

You create quality time with loved ones.

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we often forget to make time for quality interactions with friends and family. Traveling together allows you to share and enjoy experiences together, plus it creates precious memories that will be recalled over and over again throughout the years to come. Be sure to take pictures for visual touchstones of special times.

You find yourself again.

When you’re out in the world, you see things in a new light, and with the stimulation of new surroundings, you can often have flashes of inspiration or insights into your own soul. You might be inspired to renew your interest in painting after visiting a gallery or sitting by a mountain lake, or you might remember a long-forgotten goal that suddenly becomes a new focus.

You’ve made the decision you want to travel more this year. You’ve realised experiences are more important than possessions and you’ve put together a plan to start saving for your next big trip.

But how are you going to decide where to actually go?

Budget and time will undoubtedly play a part in the decision making process but with so many amazing places in the world, how do you whittle it down?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll just want to go EVERYWHERE and explore as much of the world as possible! But unless you’re taking a few years out to travel, this really isn’t an option. While some people want to go everywhere, other people don’t have one place on their wish list and they’re not sure how to discover new places to go.

Whichever situation you’re in, here are my top tips to help you choose your travel destinations.

#1. Be open-minded
Haven’t heard a place? Can’t even pronounce a place? Have no idea where a place is? But you’ve found suspiciously cheap flights to said place…? Google the hell out of it, check it’s safe and book that flight! Sometimes you’ll have the best adventures in places you can’t pronounce. Ljubljana, I’m talking to you.

#2. Be creative
You want to travel to a certain destination but flights are really expensive? Don’t let this put you off, find an alternative. Using the example of Ljubljana again, it’s really expensive to fly direct but flights to Venice are cheap and then there’s a 2 hour shuttle bus from Venice into Ljubljana. Problem solved.

#3. Consider the underdog
Every country has a ‘second city’ and it’s often a much cheaper and a more unique alternative to the capital city.

#4. Be decisive
You’ve found a place you want to go. Book it now. Go on, book it. Don’t think about it for 3 weeks and then think a bit more and then realise you’ve missed the opportunity.

#5. Ask yourself ‘why’?
Why do you want to travel? Do you want to relax, have fun with your mates, reconnect with a loved one, switch off from work, learn something new, get a tan or have an adventure? It’s easier to decide where you’re going when you know why you’re going there.

#6. Remember, remember…
You’ll only regret the things you didn’t do.
I always think about this when I need a kick up the arse to be a little more adventurous.

#7. Safe choices aren’t bad choices
Yes, I like to be adventurous in my travel choices but a good old weekend in Paris or an all-inclusive beach holiday should never been sneered at. So what if a million people have done it before you. If you have a good time, that’s all that matters.

#8. Go SoloYou’ve found somewhere you REALLY want to go but no one wants to go with you? Don’t let this stop you, go solo!

#9. Don’t dismiss your own backyard
Who said travelling has to include long flights? Search a little closer to home, you’d be surprised by the hidden gems you might find.

#10. There’s always a budget option
Don’t let your budget stop you from travelling somewhere. Even the most expensive countries have budget options like hostels where you can cook your own food, free city tours and public transport. You’re going to need to be creative but that often makes it more fun.